2011 Media Releases

Date:

September 22, 2011

For More Information Contact:

Diane Gonzolas, Citizen Information Center, 402-441-7831

Mary Meyer, City Council Office, 402-441-7515

Council Nomination Announced

The Lincoln City Council will vote on the nomination of former State Senator DiAnna Schimek to fill the vacant Council seat formally held by Jayne Snyder, on Monday September 26, according to City Council Chairman Gene Carroll.

Carroll previously announced he would select a name for Council vote from nominations made by his fellow Council members. Jon Camp and Adam Hornung nominated Mary Bills-Strand, a local realtor. Carl Eskridge, Jonathan Cook, and Doug Emery nominated DiAnna Schimek.

"We were fortunate to have two such outstanding citizens nominated for the Council seat. Mary Bills-Strand has been a community leader on a number of issues facing the City. I have a tremendous amount of respect for her and her accomplishments," Carroll said.

"It was a difficult decision as both candidates have a great deal to offer the community. But in the end, I thought DiAnna's strengths filled a void that has been needed since John Spatz left the Council. The City needs to work closely with the Legislature on issues that impact the City of Lincoln. With DiAnna's 20 years as a state senator, no one is better positioned to help the City make progress on issues such as the Commission on Industrial Relations, jobs creation, and state regulation."

"DiAnna has a reputation for building consensus and has demonstrated a long history of working with people across a broad political spectrum. She brings people together and will provide the same spirit of non-partisanship to the Council that is characteristic of our non-partisan Legislature," Carroll said.

Carroll also cited Schimek's breadth of experience as a factor, "DiAnna has faced a variety of issues in her career, from health policy to economic development, jobs creation to affordable housing to performance auditing. She will hit the ground running from day one and provide an important perspective on many issues from which we can all benefit."

"I think DiAnna is the best choice for moving Lincoln forward," Carroll said.

The Chair's nominee must receive four Council votes to be elected to the vacant Council seat. If no one is elected on Monday the 26th, the process is repeated at the October 3rd meeting until the open seat is filled.